Direwolf
Direwolf is the Chieftess of the Frozen Shore. Appearance Direwolf has long dark hair and dark sunken eyes. Her skin is pale and during battle painted with white and blue markings as are her clan warriors. She has a small nose, thick lips, and two rows of slightly crooked and chipped teeth. She dresses in furs and seal skins, as do most folk of the Frozen Shore. She wears belts around her torso and waist that bind her attire together. On the belts are the essential tools for survival beyond the Wall. History Direwolf was born to a Free Folk fishing family on the Frozen Shore. Their tribe was small and weak. Their hunters and fishers failed to provide, thus their warriors fought on empty stomachs. The tribe was met with a much stronger, more able tribe, and struck a deal with them. They were to forfeit any man who was better at holding a sword than he was a fishing rod, and they would also pay tribute with whatever food they gathered and saved each year. They hardly had enough food to keep themselves living, yet their only decision was to accept or be put to the sword. When Direwolf was five, she saw their "protector" tribe come to collect men for a raid. Her brother, White Fox, of only ten years old was taken and thrust into their warband. Direwolf found it curious that no one seemed to care. Her own parents let the tribe take their son and many other fighting men with little more than a single cold tear in their eyes. Weakness is what she saw it to be. With such a small male population there were more female warriors than ever in the Frozen Shore. Direwolf took up hunting where the men could not. She learned to use polearms such as a spear to kill her prey. Never did she return without food for her people. She befriended a fellow huntress girl, called Shadowcat. On one such hunt, she chased a pesky wolf far from the shore. It had snatched up her kill just as she moved to collect it. It turned into a personal vendetta now. She was fixed on killing the beast and eating the hare it had snatched, even if she had to pull it from its stomach. By the time she had tracked, caught, and killed it, she realized she was lost. With no way of knowing where her home was, she wandered the cold forests for weeks, living off the land and killing anything with an ounce of meet on its bones to feed her. She boasts of having killed a snow bear, cutting it open and making a home inside it. She survived the harsh winter and deadly creatures and only grew stronger from it. She was a survivalist. She eventually found her way back to her village and her family. When she was six-and-ten the large tribe that took her brother returned to collect their offerings. The leader of the tribe took an interest in Direwolf and acted to make her his woman. The night he had decided to take her was the night the Red Wanderer passed through the Moonmaid. It was far too perfect a time to pass up. As was tradition, he intended to beat her into submission and drag her off to his home. He, like all men, expected a fight from the women, but he did not expect one such as Direwolf. During their brawl, of which both clans watched with anticipation, the chief was defeated and killed by Direwolf. She proclaimed herself their new chieftain. Under the light of the Red Wanderer she stole the dead man's clan. Those who did not join were later hunted down by Direwolf's new army and killed or coerced into joining. A year later on a hunt she met a man from another clan. They argued over a dead reindeer, both claimed to have dealt the finishing blow and deserved the meat. They took to a duel to decide who truly deserved the kill. Neither would submit, and both fought ferociously. In the end they settled to share the meat over a fire they built together in a bed they shared together. Her first night and she had already fallen pregnant. She knew her high fertility was a gift from the Frozen Shore Gods, a sign of her right to rule her clan. She returned to her clan with two new members, one in her belly and the other at her side. A husband she loved. His name was Moose. Her husband got four children on her before he was killed by the Ice River Clans during a raid. She has since made it her mission to permanently exterminate the Ice River Clans and those who associate with them wherever she finds them. When she was five-and-twenty she found another man, far from the Frozen Shore. He looked healthy and capable, but when she fought him she was disappointed to see him yield. She wanted more than anything to find her equal or even her better. She wanted to be beaten. These men weren't worthy of her, but he would have to do. Bael was his name. He asked to be her man, and her his woman. With him she had three more living children, and later a stillborn daughter. During their marriage, both Direwolf and Bael frequented the beds of others, each having their own bastard child. Now, with her clan prosperous and her people content, she rules as the famed Chieftess of the Frozen Shore. Recent Events 380 AC Seventh Moon: * Direwolf hunts with two of her children Eighth Moon: * Direwolf practices archery with her son Mammoth * Direwolf meets her long-lost friend Wolf and her children. Direwolf welcomes them to stay with the clan, despite her fraternizing with the southern folk. * Direwolf calls for a clan meeting on where to raid. Wolf proposes Bear Island as the best location, while Bael would rather attack the Wall. Direwolf agrees with Wolf but the warriors are split on who to follow, Direwolf to Bear Island or Bael to the Wall. Ninth Moon: * Chief Thorgen Longblade of Ruddy Hall arrives in the Frozen Shore with the intention of joining Direwolf on their raid south. Tenth Moon: * Thorgen and Direwolf have a friendly duel in which Thorgen rises the victor. * Direwolf takes Thorgen with her for a hunt, killing a bear she sparred with for many years. The two share the night together under the furs, and return to the clan in the morning. Eleventh Moon: * Two more Chieftains arrive in the Frozen Shore, Chieftess Sigrid and Chief Srakmar. * Chieftess Sigrid puts her father to rest, Direwolf and her clan attends in respect for the Frost Bear. * Chief Srakmar proves to be a difficult one to work with. Direwolf has many nearly hostile encounters with him. * The Chieftains finally embark on their raid, setting sail with nearly 200 warriors. Category:Free-Folk